Myanmar’s military takes control of the country

Ms Suu Kyi urges people to “protest against the coup” by Myanmar’s military, as Boris Johnson says the “vote of the people must be respected”

Myanmar’s military has taken control of the Southeast Asian country after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other leading politicians and claiming that there were “huge discrepancies” in the nation’s election in November.

A one-year state of emergency has been officially declared, according to military-owned TV, and power has been handed to Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

This comes after the Kremlin accuses the United States of interfering in Russia’s domestic affairs after downplaying the scale of the weekend’s protests, when tens of thousands of Russian citizens rallied in support of the jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s leader, was among those who were detained by the nation’s military during an early morning raid on Monday, according to her political party. Vice President Myint Swe has now been made acting president.

A new parliament had been due to start today in the country.

Phone and internet connections in the nation’s capital of Naypyitaw, as well as the main commercial centre of Yangon were disrupted, and state TV had stopped broadcasting, blaming technical problems for the disruptions.

The Foreign Office has warned about the possible disruption to ATMs and advised that British nationals “stay home and stay safe”.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he condemned the “coup and unlawful imprisonment of civilians”, adding that the “vote of the people must be respected and civilian leaders released”.

Myanmar’s governing National League for Democracy (NLD) has said that Ms Suu Kyi was calling on the nation’s public to not accept the apparent coup and to protest against it.

“The actions of the military are actions to put the country back under a dictatorship,” the NLD said in a statement that carried Ms Suu Kyi’s name, and which was apparently prepared in advance.

“I urge people not to accept this, to respond and wholeheartedly to protest against the coup by the military.”

This comes after UK nationals and residents who are returning from “red list” countries will be subject to quarantine measures within government-provided accommodation, such as hotels, for 10 days, The Prime Minister has told MPs.

Earlier, party spokesperson Myo Nyunt told the Reuters news agency that Ms Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and other political leaders were “taken” in the early hours of Monday morning.

“I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law,” he said, adding that he also expected to be detained.

Tensions between the current civilian government and the nation’s powerful military have been rising ever since the election.

Ms Suu Kyi’s party won 396 out of the 476 parliamentary seats, but the army has claimed that the election results were fraudulent, allegations that have since been rejected by Myanmar’s election commission.